Read that Voss of Racine had proposed raising the limit, heard another legislator proposing the same on this morning's news. Why now? Are they trying to attach amendments that have nothing to with speed limits?

Most folks don't know the speed limit on the Interstate is 70 mph. WI chose not to change the signage due to cost.

I know Voss was motivated by a Koch PAC but was wondering why all the interest in speed limits was percolating up at this time.

I don't see the point. Cops give you a 10MPH cushion on the interstate meaning 80 isn't going to get you a ticket. Going 85 isn't going to get anyone anywhere much faster, it's going to be far less fuel efficient (most cars are most efficient around 55) and will just lead to more, deadlier accidents.

Rep. Paul Tittl (R – Manitowoc) is proposing raising the speed limit on Wisconsin’s rural interstate highways to 70 miles-per-hour. This would include stretches of I-94 between Madison and Milwaukee and stretches of I-43 between Milwaukee and Manitowoc, where the speed limit is currently 65 miles-per-hour.[...]Right now, Wisconsin is among 16 states with a maximum speed limit of 65. Some who have studied raising speed limits in other states say there’s always a downside.

I think this is part of the GOP program to brand Wisconsin as the land of the free. The next items will be repeal of the seatbelt law, the smoking ban, the litter law, the billboard law, bag limits, the 21 drinking age, and the age of consent.

Broadsheet wrote:I think this is part of the GOP program to brand Wisconsin as the land of the free. The next items will be repeal of the seatbelt law, the smoking ban, the litter law, the billboard law, bag limits, the 21 drinking age, and the age of consent.

Unless you want to have non-missionary sex with someone other than your spouse.

fennel wrote:It would be nice if they followed the lead of other states and had a separate, lower speed limit for trucks. After all, F = ½MV².

Maybe.

Because trucks, considered as class 7 and 8, are far heavier than other vehicles, they take longer to stop, are less adept at avoiding hazards, and have much more momentum. Therefore, it follows from basic physics that limiting truck speeds could reduce the severity and incidence of truck-related crashes.

However, the research record is mixed. A 1987 study finds that crash involvement significantly increases when trucks drive much slower than passenger vehicles,[52] suggesting that the difference in speed between passenger vehicles and slower trucks could cause crashes that otherwise may not happen. Furthermore, in a review of available research, the Transportation Research Board (part of the United States National Research Council) states "[no] conclusive evidence could be found to support or reject the use of differential speed limits for passenger cars and heavy trucks" (page 11) and "a strong case cannot be made on empirical grounds in support of or in opposition to differential speed limits" (page 109).[53]